Building unit for house construction



Feb 1949- R. F. LUFKIN 3 BUILDING UNIT FOR HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 4,1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l F 1, 194. R. F. LUFKIN 246M 64 BUILDING UNIT FOR HOUSE CONSTRUCTI ON Filed April 4, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w- W I Patented Feb. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES. mm OFFICE BUILDING UNIT FER HOUSE CGN-STRUJTION Richard F. Luikin, West Medford, Mass.

Application April 4, 1945', Serial No. 586,487-

This invention relates to house construction and particularly to the construction oia partition between two rooms, which partition has; an opening' therethrough otherthan a door, through which opening a table can bepassed from one room to another. 7

One object of the invention is. to; provide a unit comprising a table and a partition section adapt.- ed to be installed in a partition of a. house and having an opening therethrough of a size and shape. corresponding to. that; of the table so that the latter can be passed through said opening from one. side of the partition: section: to. the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means. for guiding the table: in its; passage through the opening in. the partition.

The invention is' especially advantageous in connection with small houses. in. whichv it is desirable to make the best: possible use of all usable space. In many houses one room often servesas both a dining room and a sitting room. A house of this type which has. my invention. installed; in the partition. dividing thev combined, dining: room and sitting room from the kitchen, has the dietinct: advantage that during. the time between meals the table may be located in the kitchen where it will be useful in various culinary opera tions, and the absence of the table from the other room will make it more suitable for use: as: a sittingroom, while when a meal is. to. be served? the table may be moved through the. partition into the combined dining roomand sitting room and there used as a dining table. After the meal is over the table can be returned to the kitchen, thus increasing the usable space in the sitting room.

Sometimes kitchens are provided with breakfast alcoves and ii the house is so designed that the breakfast alcove ison one side of the partition, dividing the combined dining room and living room from the kitchen, it would be possible to. place the table on the. kitchen side of the partition and use it for the. breakfast meal, and then when it came time to: serve dinner, the table could be moved through the partition to the other room and used as a. dining table.

As stated above, it is contemplated to provide a saleable unit comprising thertable and the partition section with. the opening through which the table may be moved, such unit being adapted to be purchased as a unit and then installed in the partition of a house as it is being built. A unit comprising the table and the accompanying partition section could also be installed in a house that is already built by removing a section of the 2 permanent partition between the kitchen and some other room and. installing said partition section. in said permanent; partition.

In order to give an understanding oi my invention I- have illustrated in the drawings a selected? embodiment thereof, which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out. in. the appended claims.

In the: drawings;

Fig; 1- is: aviiew of av unit embodying my invention comprising. a partition section. and a table,

Fi 2: is: a. section on the line 2:2, Fig. the table; being: shown in: side. elevation,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig.4.

1 Fig; 4 sectionon the: line iet, Fig. 1.

5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing. my improved unit installed the partition oi a house.

Lu; the; drawings t indicates a partition of a dwelling house; dlhlidingakitchen from another room which may be a. combined living room and room. This partition i is, illustrated as having, installed thereina unit. embodying; my invention. and comp-rising a partition section 2 having an: opening therethrough and a table- 3 adapted to be moved through the opening from one; side of the partition to the other.

The table.- 3' may have any suitable or usual construction, that herein shownhavinga table top: 4 and legs; 5 The table top comprises a body member- 6- to; which the. legs, 5- are secured and. a top board I which is secured to the body 5 and. the edges of which project; beyond or overhang the outside; edges of the; body 6 as indicated The portion H oi the opening 9. opposite the body member 6 of the table top is of less: width than the upperportion ill of the opening; said portion H of. the opening having a width to permit the said body portion 6 of'the-table top to pass freely therethrough. The opening is alsoprovicled with. two narrow vertical portions i2 015: a

size to permit the table legs 5 to pass therethrough. The portions !2 of the opening are shown as separated by a part E3 of the partition section, the upper edge of which part terminates just below the table top.

With this construction the projecting edges 8 3 of the top board I of the table at the sides of the table will overhang the shoulders iii of the sides of the opening between the wider part it and the narrower part ii of said opening. The table 3 is, therefore, adapted to be moved through the opening 9 from one side to the other of the partition section. V

Said partition section 2 is provided with means for guiding the table in its passage from one side to the other thereof, and in the construction herein shown, such guiding means is in the form of two guiding rolls I5 mounted to rotate about a vertical axis and located in each side of the opening 9 opposite the body portion 5 of the table and two other guiding rolls i6 rotatable about a horizontal aXes and carried by the shoulder portions i i of the partition, said rolls it being adapted to engage the underside of the overhanging edge 8 of the table top board 7. I will preferably equip the sides of the table top body 5 with steel tracks ii with which the rolls l5 engage and the underside of the overhanging edge 8 with similarsteel tracks i8 with which the horizontal roll i6 engage.

These rolls i5 and ii; may be mounted in suitable boxes i9 which are set into the partition in such a way that the rolls project sufficiently beyond the edge faces of the opening to engage properly the tracks on the table top. By having two rolls i5 and two rolls It on each side of the opening 9, the table will be maintained in its proper position at right angles to the partition during the movement of opening.

The upper wider part ill of the'opening extends some distance above the table top, and I have provided a closure or door member 29 which is pivoted at its upper edge to the upper edge of the opening 9 as shown at 2 i, so that this closure can be swung in either direction. Normally the closure 29 is suspended in a vertical position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but because of its pivotal connection with the upper edge of the opening, said closure can be swung into an open horizontal position in either direction as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

If it be assumed that the table is on the kitchen side of the partition as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and a meal is to be served in the room on the other side of the partition, the table can be set and if desired the food can be placed thereon while it is in the kitchen, and the set and loaded table may then be moved through the opening 9 from the kitchen to the other room as indicated by full lines in Fig. 2, it being understood, of course, that during this movement of the table, the closure 29 will be swung into and held in its open horizontal position as shown in dotted lines, in Fig. 2.

After the meal is over the table with the soiled dishes thereon may then be shifted back into the kitchen, thus enlarging the usable portion of the combined dining and sitting room.

I claim:

1. The combination with a partition of a dwelling house dividing one room from another, of a table presenting a body section with supporting legs and a top board element carried by the body portion and having its edges overhanging the the table through said I sides of the body portion, said partition having an opening therethrough, the lower portion of which opening having a width sufiicient to ailow the body portion and legs of the table to pass therethrough and the upper portion of said opening being suiflciently wider than the lower portion to allow the top board element of the table to pass therethrough, each side of the opening presenting a horizontal edge where the wider upper portion and narrower lower portion meet, said horizontal edge being at a level just beneath the top board element of the table, a guiding roll rotat n able about a horizontal aXis mounted in the horizontal edge of each side of said opening, other guiding rolls rotatable about vertical aXes mounted at the upper part of the sides of the narrower portion of said opening, the overhanging edges of the top board element having tracks to engage the horizontal guide rollers and the sides of the body section having tracks to engage the vertical guide rollers.

2. A building construction unit comprising a portable partition section of a size and shape to fit an opening formed in a permanent partition dividing one room of a building from another, said partition section having an opening therethrough, a table occupying said opening, said table having a body portion with supporting legs and a top board element carried by the body portion and having its edges overhanging the sides of the body portion, the lower portion of said opening in the partition section having a width sufiicient to allow the body section and legs of the table to pass therethrough andthe upper portion of said opening being sufficiently wider than the lower portion to allow the top board element of the table to pass therethrough, each side of the opening presenting a horizontal edge where the wider upper portion and narrower lower portion meet, which horizontal edge is at a level just beneath that of the top obard element of the table, a guiding roll rotatable about a horizontal axis mounted in the horizontal edge at each side of the opening, other guiding rolls rotatable about vertical axes mounted at the upper portion of the side of the narrower portion or said opening, the overhanging edges of the top board element being provided with metal tracks to engage the horizontal rolls as the table is moved through said opening and the sides of the body section of the table being provided with other tracks to engage the vertical rolls.

RICHARD F. LUFKIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 947,985 Armstrong Feb. 1, 1910 1,132,906 Berggren Mar. 23, 1915 1,364,357 Dorman Jan. 4, 1921 1,463,633 Smith July 31, 1923 2,182,757 Gilbert Dec. 5, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 429,076 Great Britain May 23, 1935 

